Cotton-gin.



No. 788,782. l PATBNTED MAY 2, 1905.

G. A. LOWRY.

COTTON GIN.

APPLIOATION FILED MAY 16. 1902.

2 SHBETS-SHBET l.

Pfzaecse Y y lave/35% am m. @uw 160W my C@ @QM me@ v @s PATENTED MAY 2, 1905.

G. A. LOWRY.

A COTTON GIN.

1 u HU/ No. v788,782.

ylil NTTED STATES Patented May 2, 1905.

PATENT OEEIcE.

GEORGE A. LOVVRY, OF CHICAGO; ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO PLANTERS COMPRESS COMPANY, A CORPO- RATION OF MAINE.

COTTON-GIN..

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 788,782, dated May 2, 1905. Application filed May 16, 1902. Serial No. 107,566.

10 all w/wm if; may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE A. Lower, aciti- Zen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Cotton -Gins, of which the following is a speci lication, reference being' had to the accompanying' drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a plan View of a gin and compress em bodying the present invention. Fig. 2 is an elevation in section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1 viewed in the direction indicated by the arrows. Fig. 3 is an elevation showing' a section taken on the line 3 23 of Fig. 1 through one of the grinning-slots, enlarg'ed. Fig. 4 shows a detail in side elevation. Fig. 5 is a sectional elevation similar to Fig. 3, butshowing a different construction.

My invention relates more particularly to the class of cotton-gine shown and described in my application fora patent Serial No. 38,852

.and my application jointly with Charles F.

Stoddard, Serial No. 34,761. In cotton-gine of the type referred to the cotton is ginned by bringing the seed-cotton close to a moving' surface adapted to entangle or catch the fibers and draw them with it, the seeds being restrained from following by an abutment fitting so closely against the moving surface that the seeds are unable on account of their size to enter with the fibers between the entangling surface and the abutment. The seeds being' thus restrained by the abutment and the lint fibers being inseparably held by their engagement, the lint is stripped from the seed. In the arrangement which l prefer for operating such a cotton-gin the cotton is ginned by feeding the seed-cotton to a radial slot in a circular plate, bearing against the other side of which plate is a compressed mass of lint that has already been ginned, the whole being arranged so that the plate and the mass of lint rotate one with respect to the other about an axis perpendicular to the plane of contact between them. As the surface of the mass thus rotating' travels past the slot it entangles or engages and draws with itself fibers from the seed-cotton that has been fed tothe slot on the other side of the plate. These fibers catch others, and thus when the gin is in operation there is a current or concatenation of fibers on the feed side of the plate constantly moving into the slot and passing under the abutment. The pressure between the plate and the surface of the mass is such that the fibers drawn between them are held with suflicient friction to be drawn onward with the mass away from the slot. Seeds approach and pass into the slot with the fibers to which they are attached, but are arrested at the abutment formed by the farther side of the slot, being unable to follow the fibers under it, and are thus detached from the fibers. The side of the slot which performs this function is hereinafter called the far side or ginning-lip of the slot. The fibers thus drawn through the slot add themselves to the general mass of cotton already ginned with which the underside of the entering stream is already somewhat entangled, and as they pass the slot on the next revolution or pass by other slots, if the plate has several, they themselves are covered by a layer or layers of other fibers. Thus the processes of ginning at each slot and of adding the fiber thus ginned to the mass previously ginned proceed. lVhen this preferred arrangement is employed, the\ginned cotton may conveniently be balcd in the same machine that does the ginning, the layers of lint that have passed through the several slots being built up helically into a column to make bales of cylindrical form in the manner shown in the patent issued to me dated August 8, 1899, No. 630,369. When so arrangecLthe mass of cotton contained in the compressionchamber of the compress serves as the initial entangling mass of the gi n to engage and draw with it the fibers that are to be detached from the seeds. This mass is under sufficient pressure in the compression chamber, so that when the chamber is rotated the friction or other locking means between the mass and the walls of the chamber causes the mass to rotate with the chamber. I have shown my present invention as applied to a gin of this preferred construction; but 1t will be obvious there and tend to clog the operation of theV machine to some extent.

The present invention relates, broadly, to means for preventing delinted seeds which are ready to be removed from stopping or sticking at the ginning-lip. lts object is to facilitate the removal from the gin of these seeds, from which the fiber has already been stripped, by bringing' them into the influence of the means provided for removal thereof.

In the drawings the frame of the machine is designated 1 and the compression-chamber 2, the compression-chamber being rotated by any suitable means. Such means being well known in the art are not shown in the drawings. For one type of such means reference may be made to the patent heretofore issued to me, No. 630,869. rlhe head-plate through which the fibers of lint enter the compressionchamber is composed of sector-shaped sections 3, which are joined together and supported at the center by a clamp 4, a more detailed description of which is given hereinafter, the outer portions of the sections being supported by the frame 1 and fastened thereto by bolts 5. A sectional form of construction of the head-plate is not necessary obviously, but is preferable for reasons of economy and convenience. The slots 6, through which the fibers of lint are intended to pass, are formed between adjacent sections of the head-plate by making a recess or notch of a depth equal to the desired width of slot and of suitable length on the edge of one section, asis shown in the plan view Fig. 1, the adjacent edge of the adjoining section being straight. Thus there are as many slots as there are sections in the head-plate. The sections are made relatively thick except near the slots, as shown in Figs. 8 and 5, to withstand the pressure of the mass of cotton in the compression-chamber, their upper surfaces sloping toward the slots in order to allow the seed-cotton easy access thereto. An approved arrangement of the parts is shown in Fig; 3, in which the edge 7 of the slot 6 is the ginning-lip, the direction of motion of the mass of cotton in the compression-chamber relative to the ginningslot being' indicated by the arrow. A liue 8 is provided in each section of the head-plate, said flue having an opening close to the ginning-lip throughout the'length of the lip, through which opening seeds that have been stripped of their liber may be drawn into the flue by a current of I air and removed from the gin. ln the entrance to this iiue is set a tongue or agitator 9, which is equipped with spurs 10 and is adapted to have a vibratory motion in a direction parallel with the g'inning-lip. The ends of these spurs are set close to the ginning-lip, so that if any seed should stop at the edge of the lip after the main part of its fiber has been stripped and not be removed by the air-blast the seed would be struck by some one of the spurs and being thus set in motion would be taken up by the air-draft. Figs. 3 and 5 show seeds that have thus stopped at the entrance to the delivery-iue and indicate the manner in which such seeds would be set in motion and moved along. The spurs should loe placed at such intervals that the seeds may readily pass between them into the fiue-for example, as shown in Fig. lC-and yet near enough together to prevent seed-cotton from being drawn into the flue by the draft and to make sure that each point of the ginning-lip will be covered by the travel of some one at least of the spurs. The seeds thus moved are drawn with the other seeds into one of the flues 8 and carried along by the air-blast into a main delivery-fine 11, surrounding the head-plate. from which they are carried off through an exhaust-fine 12. The current of air for accomplishing this may be provided by any suitable suction means, which is represented in the drawings by an air-pump 12. rI he tongue 9 is supported by a slide-bearing 13 where it passes through the outer edge of the head-plate. VIn the present instance another bearing is provided at the inner end of the slot. It may, however, sometimes be desirable to dispense with the inner bearing. Obviously my invention is not limited to the particular manner of supporting the tongue; nor`is it limited to the manner of imparting agitating motion to the tongue or to the direction of that motion. ln the machine represented in the drawings the means employed is a rod 14, attached to each agitator, at the end of which rod is a cross-head 15, from which a connecting-rod 16 runs to a crank 17, each crank being mounted on the shaft of a pulley 18, as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The pulleys 18 are supported on a frame-ring 19,surround ing the head-plate, and are rotated by a light belt 20, which passes around and connects them with a driving-pulley 21, which is rotated by any suitable means, the means shown in the drawings being the gear 22. ldlers or sheaves 23 are placed between the pulleys -18 and serve to bend the belt around them to provide sulicient contact. If desired, one of these idlers may be adjustably mounted to serve as a belt-tig'htener in the well-known manner.

Fig. 5 shows a slightly different embodiment of the invention illustrated in Fig. 3. In this device the ue 8 is formed by fasten- IIO `tube the exterior of which is cut with screwthreads, to which are itted at each Vend the clamping-nuts 24. A washer-like sleeve 25 is interposed next to the compression-chamber side of the head-plate sections, and the latter are gripped between this washer and one of the upper nuts 24. In the machine represented in the drawings the slots 6 in the headplate run from the wall of the cornpression-chamber nearly to the central clamping device, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. The ues 8 extend still nearer tothe center and connect with the interior of the tube 4 through the medium of a conical hood 26, which rests upon the central part of the head-plate and covers the central clamping device. This hood is large enough to leave space between its walls and the clamping device for air to pass freely from the tube 4 to the inner ends of the iues 8. Itis well known to those skilled in the art that in compresses of the said type when the feeding-slots, as in Fig. 2 do not extend to the center of the head-plate an axial cavity is formed in the bale produced, which cavity would in the present instance be a continuation of the hole through the central clamp 4. It is therefore obvious that when a suitable suction means is connected to the exhaustpipe l2 currents of air may be drawninto the several flues 8 not only through the openings where the tongues 9 are set, but also through the inner ends of those liues, the supply for the latter reaching it by entering at thelower end of the compressed column of cotton and passing u p through its central hole and through the clamping' device 4 and hood 24.

The operation of my device will now be understood. As the process of ginning goes on iibers of the seed-cotton are seized, drawn th rough the slots 6 into the compression-chamber, while the seeds are arrested by the abutment 7. The seeds are then caught by acurrent of airinduced by suction through the exhaust-pipe 12 and are drawn over the abutments into the ilues and thence out of the gin. The tongues 9 being continuously in motion over the edge of the abutment strike and disturb the position of any seeds that lodge or stop there and are not immediately carried away by the draft and by thus agitating the seeds throw them about, so that the blast of air-catches them. It will be noticed that if the operator happens to have piled a large quantity of seed-cotton above the ginningslots the current of air passing through it and the openings over the abutments to the fines 8 will be reduced. In this connection the value of my device of connecting the fines with a central supply-aperture becomes apparent, for I thereby make sure that the suction device produces a current of air in the fines 8 that is always sufficient to keep the liues clear of seeds, at the same time increasing the air-currents and agitation .in the vicinity of the tongues 9. Under ordinary conditions, however, enough air can be drawn in through the flue-openings where the seeds enter to furnish the necessary draft, and an air-suppl y opening at the farther end of the iiue does not need to be provided.

I claim- 1. In a cotton-gin the combination with ginning means, including means for supporting a fiber-engaging surface, a slotted head-plate and means for imparting relative movement thereto, of a flue having an opening adjacent the slot; means to move ginned seeds adjacent to the flue-opening, and means to produce an air-current through the flue.

2. In a cotton-gin, the combination with ginning means, including means for supporting a liber-engaging surface, a seedrestraining abutment, and means for imparting relative movement thereto, of a iue having' an opening' adjacent thereto; means to move ginned seeds adjacent to the Hue-opening, and means to produce an air-current through the flue.

3. In a cotton-gin, the combination with ginning means including means for supporting a liber-engaging surface, a seed -restraining abutment, and means for imparting relative movement thereto, of a iiue having' an opening close to the abutment; means at the entrance of the `Hue to agitate ginned seeds and means to produce an air-current through the liue.

ning means including means for supporting a liber-engaging surface, a seed-restraining abutment, and means for imparting relative movement thereto, of a Iiue having' an opening close to the abutment, an agitator at said opening, adjacent to the abutment; means to actuate the agitator, and means to produce an air-current through the flue.

5. In acotton-gin, the combination with ginning means including means for supporting a liber-engaging surface, a seedrestraining abutment, and means for imparting relative movement thereto, of a flue having an opening close to the abutment; an agitator at said opening, adjacent to the abutment; a series of spurs projecting from said agitator; means to actuate the agitator, and means to produce an air-current through the flue.

6. In a cotton-gin, the combination with ginning means including means for supporting a iiberengaging' surface, a seedrestraining abutment, and means for imparting relative movement thereto, of an air-passage adjacent to the abutment; means for producing a current of air through the passage; and an agi- 4. In a cotton-gin, the combination with gin- IOO tator adapted to operate close to the stream of lint fibers entering between said abutment and fiber-engaging surface, thereby to move ginned seeds into the air-current.

7. In a cotton-gin, the combination of a holder for a compressed mass of'cotton, a headplate forming part thereof; means to produce relative movement between the mass of cotton and the head-plate; a slot in the head-plate shaped and arranged in connection with the mass to permit bers but not seeds to pass through the slot and enter between the head-.

plate and the mass; a flue having an opening adjacent to the slot; means to produce an aircurrent through said flue; and an agitator arranged at said opening.

8..In a cotton-gin, the combination of a holder for a compressed mass of cotton, a headplate forming part thereof; means to produce relative movement between the mass of cotton and the head-plate; a slot in the head-plate shaped and arranged in connection with the mass to permit fibers but not seeds to pass through the slot and enter between the headplate and the mass; a flue having an opening adjacent to the slot; means to produce an aircurrent therethrough; an agitator in said opening adapted to move in a vibratory manner and strike seeds lodged there; and means to actuate the agitator.

9. In a cotton-gin, the combination of a holder for acompressed mass of cotton, a headplate forming part thereof; means to produce relative movement between the mass of cotton and the head-plate; a slot in the head-plate shaped and arranged in connection with the mass to permit fibers but not seeds to pass through the slot and enter between the head- .plate and the mass; a flue having an opening adjacent to the slot; means to produce an aircurrent therethrough; an agitator in said opening adapted to move in a vibratory manner and strike seeds lodged there; means to actuate the agitator; and an additional air-suppl y opening located in the iue at a point such that the air entering thereat passes by the firstmentioned opening` on its way to the place of discharge.

l0. In a cotton-gin, the combination of a holder for a compressed mass of cotton, a headplate forming part thereof; means to produce relative movement between the mass of cotton and the head-plate; a plurality of slots arranged approximately radially in the headplate each slot being shaped and arranged in connection with the mass to permit fibers but not seeds to pass through the slot and enter between the head-plate and the mass; aseries of iiues having openings close to the several slots, an air-passage leading to the inner ends of said fines, means to produce an air-current through said iiues and passage, and agitators arranged at the openings of said flues adjacent to said abutments.

1l. In a cotton-gin, the combination of a holder for a compressed mass of cotton, a headplate forming part thereof; means to produce relative movement between the mass of cotton and the head-plate; a plurality of slots arranged approximately radially in the headplate each slot being shaped and arranged in connection with the mass to permit fibers but not seeds to pass through the slot and enter between the head-plate and the mass; a series of flues having openings close to the several slots, a hood covering the inner ends of said fines, and communicating' therewith, an airpassage leading into said hood, means to produce an air-current through said fines, hood and passage, and agitators arranged at the openings of said flues adjacent to said abutments.

12. In a cotton-gin, the combination ofa holder for acompressed mass of cotton, a headplate forming part thereof; means to produce relative movement between the mass of cotton and the head-plate; a plurality of slots arranged approximately radially in the headplate each slot being shaped and arranged in connection with the mass to permit fibers but not seeds to pass through the slot and enter between the head-plate and the mass; a series of lues having openings close to the several slots, said compressed mass of cotton being pierced by an aperture leading to the center of said radial flues, a hood covering the inner ends of said flues, into which hood said ilues and aperture lead, means to produce an aircurrent through said lues, hood and aperture, and agitators arranged at the openings of said Hues adjacent to said abutment to throw ginned seeds into the air-current.

In witness whereof I hereunto set my hand,

in the presence of two witnesses, this 6th day of May, 1902.

GEORGE A. LOVRY.

IVitnesses:

O. R. MITCHELL, J osnrn T. BRENNAN. 

